Animate Old Photos: How to Create a Hug Video

Recently, TikTok has seen a surge of viral videos like “Hugging Your Childhood Self,” “Hugging Grandma,” where old photos are brought to life, allowing viewers to reconnect with the past in a touching way.

In this article, we'll show you how to use Animate Old Photos to create videos where the subjects in your photos hug, or interact as if they were alive. This guide will help you achieve the desired effects, making your creative ideas a reality.

Why Animate Hug Photos?

Breathing life into old photos, particularly those capturing the warmth of a hug, allows you to:

• Relive Precious Moments: Transport yourself back in time and experience the joy and connection of those special moments all over again.
• Connect with loved ones across time: Imagine hugging a grandparent who's no longer with you.

• Share unique and touching content: Create videos that stand out on social media and resonate with others.

3 Easy Steps to Create Your Hug Video:

1. Prepare Your Photo:

1.1 If Your Photo Already Has Two People:

• Choose a photo where the subjects are facing forward or in profile, with clear and visible faces.
• Make sure the subjects occupy more than 50% of the frame; avoid images dominated by the background.
• Keep the photo clean and free of unnecessary elements.

Choosing the Right Photo for Animation

	Subject Size	Background Cleanliness	Facial Clarity
High-Quality Photos	People are large and take up most of the picture (over 80%).	Background is simple and clear.	Faces are clear and easy to see.
Low-Quality Photos	People are too small, less than half of the picture.	Background is busy and distracting (like a picture frame in the picture).	Photo is blurry, faces are not clear.

1.2 If you need to bring two people from separate photos together:

• Use our free Merge Images tool to crop, resize, and place two separate photos side by side. Download the combined image, then upload it to Animate Old Photos to make your hug video.
• Merge them into one photo, following these tips:
  • Make sure both subjects are either facing forward or in profile, with clear, visible faces.
  • Keep the sizes of both subjects consistent—avoid having one appear larger than the other.
  • The combined image should have the subjects filling more than 50% of the frame.
  • Keep the final image clean and free of distractions.

Prefer to combine photos and generate the video on one page? Use AI Hug, which includes a built-in Merge Images editor.

Watch how to combine two photos with Merge Images.

Choosing the Right Photos for Combining People

Recommended Photos	People should be about the same size, shown from the waist up.	Clean background, full body shown, people look about the same size.	Faces are clear, people look about the same size.
Not Recommended Photos	One person is much bigger or smaller than the other.	The people are cropped too close, and there are distractions in the image.	Blurry photo, people are far away, faces are unclear.

2. Visit the Animate Old Photos Website

• Open your browser and go to Animate Old Photos website.
• Log in, then click Animate Old Photos at the top of the screen to enter the video creation page.

3. Upload and Animate Your Photo:

• Click the photo upload area and select your prepared image (copy-pasting often works!).
• In the Prompt area, add a text description. Here are some examples:

For Hugs:

• Realistic: two people hugging
• Two people slowly approach each other and hug
• Granddad and grandson hugging each other
• Two girls smiling and hugging
• A girl hugging her mother

Describe left and right as they appear in the photo. For example:

• The husband on the left hugs his wife on the right, then smiles

4. Generate and Download Your Hug Video

Click "Animate Old Photo" to generate your video. Generation typically takes 2-5 minutes and can take longer during busy periods. Review the result, then download it to keep or share. Videos are stored for 30 days. If the result is not what you wanted, try a clearer photo or a simpler prompt before generating again.

Some high-quality examples

Tips for Success:

• Clear faces (forward-facing or profile).
• Faces should take up at least 30% of the image to reduce facial distortion.
• Balanced proportions between figures.
• Figures occupy over 50% of the frame.
• Half-body is best.
• A clean and uncluttered background.
• Use simple, descriptive language.

Bring Your Memories to Life Today!

Animate Old Photos is a powerful tool for transforming static images into heartwarming animations. With this guide, you can easily create beautiful hug videos that will bring joy to you and your loved ones. Start animating your memories today!

Combine Photos and Generate a Video in AI Hug

The dedicated AI Hug Video Generator offers another way to make your video. Upload a photo of both people, or open the built-in Merge Images editor to combine separate photos. Use the combined image directly in the form, add an optional prompt, and click "Make Hug Video."

Both workflows are available: use Merge Images to prepare an image for the homepage tool, or complete the process inside AI Hug. See the AI Hug tutorial for the built-in editor workflow.

Last Modified: October 11th, 2026